Dim bulbs, branding irons and sacred cows

Last night I picked up a copy of Branding Only Works on Cattle, a new marketing book by my business buddy Jonathan Salem Baskin. Clearly, I haven't read the damn thing already so this isn't a proper review.  Think of this as a heads up -- cuz I'd wager that Baskin has crammed some interesting ideas between the covers.

His thesis goes something like this:

Branding as we know it is as dead as the dodo.  Despite marketers' best efforts to build powerful, memorable brands through all sorts of big ticket awareness campaigns, consumers simply don't pay attention and couldn't care less.  At best we can't prove whether any of our brand marketing works; at worst we know full well that it doesn't but are so mired in the traditional that we are reluctant to embrace change. 

Exactly what kinds of change should we be embracing?  New channels, new approaches, new ways of thinking about what brands are and how companies can/should interact with new consumers.  We've heard all of this before, right?  Right.

But Jonathan is no dim bulb (although that is the name of his popular blog.)  He understands that, at the end of the day, a marketer's job isn't to build image, grow awareness or join conversations but to actually get people to take action.  If marketing is all about accountability, this book aims to show readers how they can try new things, experiment with new models, test new channels and still deliver measurable bottom line results.

Sounds pretty interesting now, doesn't it?  But here's the best part -- I'm quoted not once but twice, yammering on about the 'outsourcing of consent' (wired consumers seeking out the inexpert advice of social media strangers) and the difficulty of delivering real world results through virtual world marketing.  OK, so maybe that isn't really the best part but Jonathan does refer to me as 'a marketing executive with one of the best new media blogs in the business.'

As the kids say, LOL you're absurd Papa Baskin (I added the Papa Baskin part.)

If you're already sold, you can buy 'Branding Only Works on Cattle' on Amazon or wherever you like to shop for books. (Look at me not only building awareness for the book but trying to drive action.)  On the other hand, if you'd like to learn a bit more about how this Baskin character thinks before you shell out your hard earned cash, you may want to skim a few posts on Dim Bulb or read his guest post right here on my blog.

If you do read the book, be sure to come back here and let me know what you think of it.